Changes
by Sparrowhawk1031
Summary: A story set after the events of Sonic Adventure 2 Battle about Shadow after his purpose in life has been altered.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello everyone! This is my first true fanfiction, so please do review and let me know how I am doing! Like many of you, Sonic Adventure 2 Battle occupied much of my free time when I was younger. I love the characters and the plot in that game; it was, in my opinion, the Sonic franchise's best work. However, as I get older, I still appreciate the characters but I would love to see them portrayed in a setting more suitable for older teens to adults than for kids. This fanfiction is a mix of SA2B, Sonic X, and my own interpretation; it also mainly focuses on Shadow, whom I tried to make a bit more dark and serious while remaining the narcissistic hedgehog with the emotional back-story that we know and love. The general plotline came from lady-warrioress (I did get permission from them to post this!) but the majority of it is completely changed from the original and is from my own head. I used lady-warrioress as inspiration. No plagiarism here! The story from which I got the inspiration can be found here:  s/2067212/1/Sonic_X_Helens_Adventure Enjoy and please review!

Helen sighed as she rolled her wheelchair along the sidewalk. It was a beautiful spring afternoon and also the beginning of a weekend, and she had no plans. Helen didn't know what to do with herself at the moment, and she felt that she was wasting such a nice day. She wasn't about to go home, as she knew that her mother would be in her office, making calls and writing on important-looking documents, and that her father would be at the grocery store, hard-working as always. Helen didn't worry. After all, her parents were hard workers who loved her and she knew that later in the evening, they would sit down to a lovely meal together and laugh and share the day's experiences. She just wished that the family fun wasn't limited to the times in between. Suddenly, the sunny-haired girl had an idea that made her sit up straight with happiness; she would go to visit her classroom friend Chris Thorndyke and possibly Sonic, if he was home. Helen felt a pang of affection for the speedy blue hedgehog that had once put off the United States President's party to hang out with her. She smiled happily at the notion of spending the remainder of the day playing with her friends. Suddenly, the sun's rays felt lighter and the sky looked bluer.

The Thorndyke's house was not far, and soon Helen was steering her wheelchair up the fine cobblestone that made up the front path. Helen looked around and thought to herself, _I almost forgot how big Chris's house is! How lovely it must be to live here and have all the space and things you want! _She grinned to herself and added, _And to have friends like Sonic and Cream and Cheese and Amy live with you!_

She had been to the Thorndyke's house a couple of times before, so she knew where the ramp to the front door was. She stopped her wheelchair in front of the fancy glass door, reached up, and rang the doorbell. She could hear the beautiful chiming from within the house. She felt a bit of envy; her doorbell was broken, and even when fixed, it sounded nowhere near as elegant. Her dad kept saying that he was going to fix it, but his busy life kept getting in the way. _Same with so many other promises…_Helen thought. _But I am NOT going to focus on that today. I am going to have fun!_ She focused on the figure nearing the door.

The door swung open to reveal Ella, the heavy-accented, kindly maid. "Oh, hello there, Helen! Welcome!" Ella picked Helen's wheelchair up and placed it inside the house. "Please do come in! Are you looking for Mr. Chris?"

Helen found it funny that all the workers here said Chris's name so formally. "Yes I am!" she responded happily.

"Hold on one moment!" Ella said as she walked away. She called out loudly "MR. CHRIS!" as she disappeared through a door into what looked like a grand kitchen.

Helen spotted some movement and Chris's head popped up at the top of the spiral staircase. "Hey, Helen!" he yelled, and rapidly descended the staircase. He approached her, hands in pockets. "What's up?"

Helen said, "Well, I have nothing to do today and it is such a nice day outside that I thought that I would come over and see if you and Sonic and all his friends wanted to play!"

Chris shifted uncomfortably. Helen waited, and he finally said guiltily, "Well, ah, you see, Helen…we were about to go out in the X-Tornado and…uh…"

Helen's heart soared. An adventure in the fantastic jet built by Tails's own hands! Imagine the stories she would get to tell to her parents tonight! "Can I come?" she said, barely containing her excitement.

Chris shifted again. "Well, uh, Helen…it would be kind of…easier…if you didn't come along."

Helen's smile disappeared. "What do you mean?"

Chris said, "We go on a lot of dangerous adventures and it's easy for you to get hurt with your…" he gestured at her wheelchair. "Besides, when we're in the middle of a mission, we can't afford to watch out for you. I'm sorry."

Helen's eyes brimmed with tears as she understood what Chris was saying. She looked down and slowly turned her wheelchair towards the door. As she opened it, Chris said again,

"Helen, I'm sorry…"

She turned back to look at him and said in a quiet voice, "No, I get it." With a sudden burst of strength, she pushed her wheelchair over the door frame and landed with a bump on the porch. As she closed the door and wheeled down the ramp, she was so sad. But then she was angry. She thought, _He just called me useless. I'm a burden! _

Upset, she aimed for the one place where she knew she could find solace: the lake. It wasn't too far, and the entire way she fought back tears. As she bumped over the earth towards the shore, small pink blossoms half-hidden in the grass peeped out at her as if they were concerned. She rolled to a stop and looked out over the sparkling lake. But her eyes did not see the perfect waters. She was too deep in angry thoughts.

_Stupid Chris! _She thought. _He thinks that he is so high and mighty. And he called me useless! Well, I'll show him!_ She started crying hot, angry tears. They streaked down her face and made her look like a fallen angel, with her blonde hair and perfect blue eyes. When she was finally calm she looked out over the lake and at the island in the center, and she remembered the wondrous flower field. Her anger subsided. It had been so beautiful, and she felt a wave of peace come over her. Flowers and nature always calmed her and reminded her of the good things in life.

She grew calm enough to hear the faint voices in the background that had been undetectable to her when she was occupied with her anger and vengeance. In fact, they were barely detectable now, even as she strained her ears. They seemed to be coming from…the woods? Her curiosity piqued, she strained her eyes as well, staring into the woods with such intensity that a bystander might expect lasers to come out of her eyes at any moment. She started wheeling herself towards the forest very slowly so that the metallic clicks of her chair would not drown out the barely audible voices. The sound of the voices grew stronger as she passed the initial line of trees. She went more quickly now, weaving around tree trunks and violently overgrown bushes. Helen saw something ahead of her that definitely was not a tree or a bush, so she slowed down and stopped right behind a tree trunk. Cautiously, she peeked around it. Right ahead of her was a little open space and standing in the middle was one of the oddest men she had ever seen.

He was round, egg-shaped almost, with long legs and a supremely bushy mustache that spurted out from his face. He wore mirrored glasses that hugged his face and protective eyewear of some sort perched atop of his bald head. It was a funny sight for a brief moment, but only for that, because she recognized the man. He was the one who had threatened to blow up the Earth with his giant cannon up in space! But then Sonic had saved them all. A cold flash of fear went through her. The defeat had been just about a month ago, plenty of time for a maniac like this to hatch another plan. The fact that he was back in Station Square was evidence that he had something up his sleeve.

_He was defeated then, _she thought, _but not now. He is just as dangerous. _Helen desperately wanted to zoom out of there, as fast as she could, back to Chris's house where she would find Sonic. Sonic could take care of it. He could do anything.

The mad scientist gave a wild whoop of laughter that brought her back to the current situation and made her almost fall out of her seat. As she recovered, inspiration hit her: she had better find out what the scientist was up to so that she could help Sonic with the acquired information. Trying to draw bravery from somewhere, she stayed and listened.

"This is it! I have devised a new plan, better than before! My previous plans have always been great, but this time, I have a new strategy that is sure to succeed!" Eggman said. He was speaking to three little drone robots.

"You see, my plots before have been so direct, so ambitious! So grand! All or nothing! But perhaps that is my fault. Instead of high risk, high reward, I am this time going to build up my power until I can rule over the world. And it all starts here: Station Square, the home of my main antagonist Sonic and his friends. If I have them under my control, the rest shall be significantly easier."

The robots took notes on little electronic pads so that their lord's commands could be better carried out later. _They must be high-ranked robots in his army, _Helen figured.

"And it is all planned out. I have the ultimate hacking program ready to take over the important technology and computers and scramble the rest. The governing members of this city will have no means of communication, no power, no hope! And in the midst of this confusion, I will slip in with a small army and force a surrender. But for now, I am going to survey this city, find its strengths and weaknesses, and plan."

Helen's eyes widened as she realized that Eggman was going to leave very soon and would most likely spot her. _I need to get out of here, _she thought, _and go warn Sonic before it's too late!_

She backed her wheelchair up, pivoted, and tried to move away swiftly but quietly. Before she could clear the line of trees, however, she carelessly ran over a big, dry stick with one wheel and with a loud _snap_ and _crackle _as it unsettled the leaves on the forest floor, her position was exposed. She froze and looked fearfully over her shoulder, hoping desperately that the dangerous scientist hadn't heard or had passed her off as a forest animal. She could see Eggman peering intently through the trees. With a voice that thrummed in her heart he barked,

"Who's there?"

Helen gave no response and remained more motionless than she thought she could ever be. Oh, but the wheelchair, he greatest enemy and friend, caught the light and reflected in the evil man's eyes, which instantly widened with rage.

"A spy!" he shouted, crashing through the bushes with a fist extended in front of him. "Go!" he commanded his robots.

Helen wasn't about to wait and see what was going to happen. With arms muscled by years of pushing her chair around, she "sprinted". She aimed for the lake, its crystal clear waters signaling her like a beacon, showing her the way out of the deep woods. As soon as she cleared the line of trees, she whipped her chair around back towards the city, where she knew she could find help.

The robots, however, had already figured out this plan and they cut her off, emerging from the trees ahead of her in a grim line. Helen gasped and swung her chair the opposite way. She had never traveled this way before, but whatever was here was better than falling into the hands of a scientist who had more than once harmed human beings.

The path was changing from grass and loamy soil to hard rocks and dry dirt, and Helen bumped along, her speed unchecked. However, inevitably, the rocks slowed her down with their sharp grab. She tried to make the chair go faster desperately and looked over her shoulder. The robots were getting closer and closer as her rate continued its decrease.

She knew it at that moment; eventually they were going to catch up with her. _If I can't win this physically, I'll have to win it with words, _she thought. Still rolling, she turned her head and shouted with as much authority as she could muster,

"Leave me alone! I have done nothing wrong!"

The robots still continued their grim, steady pace. Helen turned back around and gasped in fright. The ground ahead of her had disappeared. She braked hard, not a second too late. Her chair rolled slowly to a stop not a foot from a precipitous drop. She cautiously leaned out a little and looked into a ravine. The canyon was not deep, but it was filled with rocks, large and small, and would be no fun to fall into.

Her heart started as her chair started rolling backwards. The robots had caught up with her and, too preoccupied recovering from what could have been a fatal accident, she hadn't noticed. Now one pulled the chair, one walked in front of Helen, and one walked besides. Without any noticeable sign of communication, they turned and walked back the way they had come.

No! This could not be happening! Helen turned and pushed strongly at the robot pushing her along. Taken by surprise, the robot staggered back. Immediately, the remaining two stepped forward to take the other's place. Helen reacted quickly and with a strong push rolled out of their reach. She heard a clank as they collided and smiled with satisfaction.

The triumph was short-lasting, however, as her chair suddenly tipped at a sharp angle. As she pushed away from the mechanical fiends, she had failed to notice the direction in which she propelled herself. She screamed as her chair plunged into the ravine. She crashed speedily down the rocky slope, bumping this way and that, before she finally reached the larger rocks at the bottom. Her chair hit one and jerked to a stop. Helen flew out of the seat, through the air, and her last sight was that of a rock getting closer and closer before everything went black.

The robots had run up to the edge and watched the entire spectacle. Eggman, puffing, came up behind them.

"Why have you stopped the pursuit?" he demanded. "Where is that sneak?"

Immediately all three robots saluted. One, acting as the spokesperson for the trio, replied in a robotic monotone, "We kept up the pursuit and caught her, but she slipped out of our grasp and fell into the ravine. There has been no sign of movement. We await your command."

Eggman snorted, "I saw her; she was in a wheelchair! You three are pathetic." He looked over the sloping edge at the small, motionless figure at the bottom. "Well, I suppose we don't have a problem anymore. Come, my robotic commanders; we have an operation to commence."

And thus the mad scientist and his robots turned tail and left without a backwards glance.

The sun had sunk low into the sky before there was any sign of movement in the ravine. But it did not come from the frail girl lying on the jumble of rocks. It came from a significantly more dangerous figure.


	2. Chapter 2

Shadow the Hedgehog stalked the growing shadows along the ravine. He had no purpose in being here besides seeking a place beyond prying eyes. As he walked, he did what he had done every night for the past week; he reflected. It had been just about a month since he and Sonic had stopped the ARK from crashing into the Earth. He remembered finally truly interpreting Maria's wish and his promise. He could still see the horrific Biolizard he fought in the ARK. He remembered the burst of power that had transformed him into Super Shadow. He remembered shooting himself through space to defeat the Biolizard, at that point called the Final Hazard, yet again. And then, of course, he remembered his fall.

He clenched his fists at this. He could still feel the complete weakness, the utter helplessness. He remembered saying something, but now could not recall what it was. And then he remembered the flashes of agonizing pain as he burned in the atmosphere, slipping in and out of consciousness. He remembered being accepting of his inevitable death. He was satisfied with what he had done and the peace he had made between himself, Maria, and the world. This is why it had been such a surprise to wake up some time later, in a completely different location.

Dr. Eggman. The doctor had tracked his fallen, broken body down and recovered it with the aid of his robots. Shadow, being the Ultimate Life Form, had not died, even with dozens of wounds that would have killed a human several times over. Acting swiftly, the rotund scientist had brought Shadow back to his base on Earth and immediately put Shadow in a stable stasis. He had then begun the recovery process, bringing the dark hedgehog back from the brink of death. Finally, after three weeks, the hedgehog had been restored and Dr. Eggman delighted. After reawakening and explaining the situation to the bewildered Shadow, the doctor revealed that his intentions were not all good. He planned to put the Ultimate Life Form back into stasis and begin a cloning process. With an army of Shadows, he could be the most powerful man on the planet!

As to be expected, Shadow was none too happy with this plan. He despised how he was being underestimated and not given the respect he deserved. Additionally, he was the one Shadow, and there should be only one Ultimate Life Form on the planet. And that was him and no fat scientist with an inflated ego was going to change that. So, only minutes after discovering that he was alive, a thoroughly angry Shadow broke out of his restraints, unleashed a Chaos blast, and escaped.

After fleeing into the cold night, alarms blaring at the damaged base behind him, Shadow realized that he had no plan, no purpose. His original mission, to get revenge on those who had hurt him and the others on the ARK, had been changed. On that last, fateful day, before going out and fighting the Biolizard, Shadow had come to a sudden epiphany with the help of Amy. He understood that Maria did not want revenge; she wanted people to experience the happiness that she was sure that she would find on Earth. And Shadow had promised her that he would do this. Thus, the past week since he had escaped, he reflected on the events that had happened and wondered what to do next. He needed something to do, and he had a tentative plan.

As he walked, he reviewed, _Ever since the ARK proved itself to be a danger, it has gone up in importance in the eyes of the government, just like 50 years ago. But now that it is empty, they will send soldiers up, and without any problem or objection, they will destroy it. There is no one up there to report what they will do. It can all be a secret. But I have to prevent that. For the sake of Maria's memory, my past, and all the people who died. I must preserve the one place I knew and Maria's memory. _He stumbled over a rock, whisking away his thoughts. He irritably threw a spear of Chaos energy at it and destroyed it. He continued walking.

_Then, with the ARK secured, I must move onto the next portion: keeping my promise to Maria. With the seven Chaos emeralds loose, there is no telling the sort of havoc they will loose among the people of this planet. I will find those and secure those in the ARK. _He then grinned darkly. _And then is the next part. I will give people a chance to be happy, just like you asked, Maria. But not the way you think. I will rid the world of evil. I will not help those who are good like that faker Sonic. I will punish those who have done wrong!_

Suddenly, the sun reflected off of something shiny ahead of him. Without thinking he dove and somersaulted behind the nearest large rock. Ears pricked, he listened for any clue that what he believed to be a GUN robot had seen him and become alerted. After a moment of the only sound being the wind, he cautiously peeked around the rock.

It was a wheelchair, sitting on its side. Shadow walked up to it. It looked so out of place among the harsh rocks and fading lights. Wheelchairs did not just appear in the middle of ravines outside of towns.

Where was its occupant?

Frowning, Shadow sped up a slope to the top of the ravine in a flash of yellow light. He peered around the area. He saw the unnatural shine of the wheelchair, but nothing else. A slight splash of color caught his peripheral vision. He squinted as hard as he could at the spot, but the receding light did not do well for one's spotting abilities. He bounded back down the slope and stopped with a spray of pebbles next to the person.

It was a girl, and judging by the sight of her skinny legs, the owner of the chair. If Shadow hadn't known better, he would have guessed that it was Maria. She had the same blond hair, the same innocent, round face, and if her eyes had been open, Shadow would bet that they would be blue. He knelt down next to her and put gloved fingers on her neck, trying to detect a pulse. Shadow felt the beating, and since the wind had just died down, his sharp ears could hear the slight whistling of her breathing.

He stood up, satisfied. _Well, at least she isn't dead. _He turned to walk away, but something stopped him. He looked back at the girl, and then flipped sharply around again, growling to himself, "I don't have time for this human." He was eager to get on with his mission. Even now, the GUN soldiers could be planning an attack on the ARK. And the Chaos Emeralds were waiting. And yet…

Shadow turned back again, looking at the girl. _She'll never get out of here by herself. She's in a wheelchair, for God's sake. _And besides, this was part of his mission…wasn't it?

Sighing with irritated resignation, he walked back over. "When did I get so soft?" he muttered as he hefted the frail young human.

Giving people a chance to be happy=getting rid of all the evil in the world=getting chaos emeralds and Maria's memory safe in the ARK and then going around and killing bad people

Chapter 2

After ensuring that the wheelchair was in working order, Shadow placed the unconscious girl in it and started walking towards a little sheltered place beneath a nearby tree that he had planned to rest in during the night. He longed to run, but he knew that with the rough terrain and his speed, the unaware female would easily fall out.

_What am I going to do with this girl? _Shadow wondered as he stopped in the long shadow of the tree. He looked up at the rapidly darkening sky. _I can't take her to her house since I don't know where it is…and leaving an unconscious handicapped girl in the streets of a city at night gives plenty of opportunities for problems. _ He looked at the girl. _I guess I have to stay here and baby-sit you for the night. _Shadow snorted. _So weak. _

_You didn't think that about Maria, _a snide little voice said in his head. "Shut up!" Shadow snarled at himself. Irritated, he turned back to the task at hand. He figured that being hunched over in a wheelchair was none too comfortable, so he cleared a little spot on the ground, lifted the girl out of the chair, and placed her on the ground. Shadow took her jacket, which had miraculously remained on the wheelchair through its bumpy ride down the slope, and folded it into a little pillow.

He stood back, satisfied. Now was for the next task. Although the springtime days were beginning to hint of summer, the nights brought back the cold memories of winter. Shadow could take the cold, since he was the Ultimate Life Form and was toughened by his harsh lifestyle, but this small girl could not. A fire would be of the necessity.

Shadow skated around the ravine, looking for any dead wood. Unfortunately, the small amount of plant growth that existed down here was all alive, and green wood didn't burn well. Besides, even if he cut down all the trees in the ravine, there were so little that their meager supply wouldn't last an hour. Frustrated, he skated back to where the girl lay. _She's just going to have to suffer through it tonight, _he thought.

But wait! Hadn't there been a forest on the other side of that lake he saw when first descending into the ravine? Within a second he had ascended the top of a slope and was standing at the top of the ravine.

Success! A dark forest did indeed loom over one side of the still-twinkling lake. Shadow shot over to the edge of the forest within a few seconds with the aid of his hover skates. The forest was even darker than the sky outside. Shadow breathed the sweet, wild scent of the woods. It was lovely. _One of the many things Earth has to offer that space does not, _he thought.

_And Maria will never get to enjoy it…_

He shook his head irritably, rattling his black-and-red quills. _Enough. _While the dark forest appeared imposing to some, Shadow darted into it without a second thought. Even at the high speed attained thanks to his shoes, Shadow's eyes and brain could easily process the surroundings flying past him. He analyzed each piece of wood his eyes discovered within milliseconds, deciphering if it would smoke too much, if it was wet, if it was too big or too small. He eventually stopped at a recently fallen tree.

The wood it would provide was perfect - dry, not too crumbly, and plenty of sizes. Ultimate Life Form he may be, but even Shadow found a tree to be too unwieldy to carry. He concentrated and in a burst of green light, he and the fallen tree disappeared.

When he and the giant log reappeared in a burst of green light in front of the makeshift camp, no one was surprised by his appearance as no one was there to see it. Shadow began to slice up the tree into more reasonably sized pieces and kindling with red Chaos blades. He shaped the logs and sticks into a neat tepee and set it on fire with a short, intense flash of energy.

He looked across at the girl. She looked even smaller and frailer in the increasing dark. The light from the fire flashed across her innocent face. Once again, Shadow was reminded of another little blonde girl, whose innocent face was instead highlighted by flashing red alarm lights and intense fear. Shadow shut his eyes tight for a moment. He doubted that time would ever temper his grief. He took a deep breath before looking up at the darkening sky. _It will be quite some time before I leave with this girl. Even if she wakes in the night, we'll remain here. I doubt her guardians would appreciate a midnight calling, particularly from someone like me. People tend to assume the worst in the nighttime, and I need no relatively innocent blood on my hands if they make me defend myself. _

He settled against the tree, shifting until the quills on his back lay flush against the ground. He crossed his arms as well as his legs, closed his eyes, and waited for the sun to make its reappearance. Shadow soon discovered that he was too uneasy to fall into the closest thing he could get to sleep; he felt too exposed, lying in the middle of the mostly barren rocky space. _I'll check the area every hour, _he decided. Content, he closed his eyes, though his ears remained alert.


End file.
